246: Chapter 246: Mo Ying

That figure had their back to Ling Ye, crouching beside the small seepage pit at the Water Source, seemingly using something to collect water.

The distance was about thirty meters, with a depression and some scattered rocks and shrubs in between.

Ling Ye's heart skipped a beat, then began to pound even faster.

He pulled back into the cave entrance abruptly, leaving only a tiny gap, holding his breath, his muscles instantly tensing up like a beast that had discovered a fatal threat.

A living person! Appearing deep within these hills that he had assumed were absolutely desolate, with him as the only survivor!

Friend or foe? A wanderer passing by by chance? Or... a scout from The Plainclothes Organization? Or someone else attracted here by the aerial strikes or the "Worm Rock" incident?

Countless questions and vigilance washed over him like icy water, instantly dispelling the slight sense of relief he had just felt due to his recovering injuries.

He did not react immediately, instead forcing himself to calm down and enter a state of heightened observation.

His gaze, like a cold probe, locked tightly onto that unfamiliar back through the gaps in the vines.

Observation points:

Appearance and equipment: The person was of medium build, slightly hunched, wearing dirty, tattered coarse cloth clothes whose original color was barely discernible, and a similarly dirty headscarf.

On his back was a flat bundle tied with ragged hemp rope, which did not look large.

On his feet were old rubber shoes worn down to the point of almost exposing his toes. No obvious weapons were seen (though they might be hidden on his person).

His overall appearance was extremely similar to the lowest-level scavengers or vagrants Ling Ye had seen on the city outskirts before.

Behavior: The person's movements while collecting water were slow and careful, using a chipped, broken ceramic bowl to carefully scoop up the water seeping from the rock crevice and pour it into a flattened old plastic oil canister he carried.

He looked around frequently, his eyes vigilant, carrying a sensitivity like a frightened bird, developed from long-term existence in a dangerous environment.

But his focus while looking around seemed to be the sky and the surrounding high ground, as if guarding against aerial strikes or observation from afar, rather than carefully searching for hiding spots on the ground (like Ling Ye's cave).

State: The person looked very exhausted, his movements somewhat unsteady, his hands trembling slightly while collecting water.

The exposed half of his arm was bony, covered in dirt and old scars. His complexion was unclear, but judging from the profile of his face and the skin on his neck, it was also dark, rough, and weathered.

Energy Perception: Ling Ye pushed the passive perception of the "bone ring" and his own Spiritual Sense to the limit, cautiously "scanning" over.

There were no abnormal energy fluctuations, no feeling of "incoordination" from "abyssal eye" contamination, nor the special energy characteristics of The Plainclothes Organization personnel, which were well-trained and faintly carried a sense of technological equipment (if his previous judgment was accurate).

There was only an extremely weak, turbid life energy field belonging to an ordinary person, carrying the weight of long-term malnutrition, injury, illness, and heavy life pressure.

Initial judgment: It was highly probable that he was a lone, low-level wanderer or fugitive struggling to survive in the wilderness. The possibility of an association with The Plainclothes Organization or "Cleaning" was low.

However, his vigilance and familiarity with the environment (being able to find the Water Source here) indicated that he might have been active in this area for some time, or that he had some experience in wilderness survival.

Danger level: Unknown. In the wilderness where survival resources were extremely scarce, a lone, weak fellow human could mean a potential source of supplies, or it could mean a fatal threat — for the sake of competing for limited water, food, or simply this relatively safe, hidden cave.

Ling Ye's brain raced. Should he continue to remain hidden and wait for this person to leave? Or initiate contact? Or... under the premise of ensuring his own absolute safety, conduct more in-depth observation, or even attempt to obtain some information?

Immediate contact was too risky. Although the other party appeared weak, being able to survive in such a place meant he must have his methods. Moreover, his highly vigilant state also indicated that he might have experienced danger and harbored great wariness or even hostility toward strangers.

Let him go? That would not do either. This person had discovered the Water Source. He might come back. His existence alone meant the risk of this stronghold being exposed.

Moreover, Ling Ye desperately needed to understand the situation in this area, the changes in the outside world after the explosion in the direction of the "Dark Nest", and even... the possible channels for obtaining more food and medicine. This strange wanderer might be able to provide some information.

Weighing the pros and cons, Ling Ye decided: continue to observe in secret, evaluate his behavior patterns and activity rules, and while ensuring his own absolute safety and concealment, find a suitable opportunity to attempt extremely limited, non-contact "information acquisition."

He was like a shadow truly blended into the rock, motionless, only his eyes, through the gaps in the vines, recording every move of The Stranger.

The Stranger collected about half a canister of water and then stopped. He seemed afraid to stay here long, quickly packing away the ceramic bowl and oil canister into his bundle, then scanned his surroundings vigilantly again, especially the sky.

Then, he did not leave along the gully, but chose to climb up a relatively gentle slope on one side of the depression, heading towards the depths of the hills, opposite to Ling Ye's cave, further southwest.

His pace was fast, but somewhat unsteady, as if his physical strength was insufficient, but the will to survive supported him as he quickly left this area.

Until that figure completely disappeared into the folds of the hills, Ling Ye waited for another full half hour, confirming there was no other movement and no one returned, before he silently slid out of the cave and quickly came to the Water Source.

He checked the seepage pit and the surrounding ground. Apart from a few blurred footprints left by The Stranger (the rubber shoe tread was almost worn flat) and a little spilled water, there were no other traces. The Stranger was very careful, did not damage the Water Source, and did not leave any personal items behind.

Ling Ye quickly took his own filled water canister and returned to the cave. He put the water canister away, but his heart could no longer be calm.

A "Neighbor" had appeared. Not the eerie "Worm Rock", but a fellow human also struggling on the line of death. This wilderness was not an island he enjoyed alone.

He needed to adjust his strategy immediately:

Stronghold safety upgrade: It must be assumed that this water point had already been exposed. Water collection times must be more random, choosing periods with dim light and low visibility, such as dawn and dusk.

Between the water collection path and the cave entrance, set up more, more concealed early warnings and obstacles (such as using vines and gravel to arrange natural tripwires and sound devices).

Activity restrictions: Minimize going out during the day, especially avoiding staying near the Water Source for long periods. All activities (setting traps, gathering) must be more secretive and try to stay away from the Water Source and main paths.

Observation and tracking: Under the premise of ensuring his own safety, try to track the general direction of The Stranger. There was no need to follow too closely, just judge his range of activity and possible landing area. Observe if he often came here to collect water, if there were fixed activity patterns, and if there were other companions.

Information preparation: Think about how to respond if he had to make contact (or was forced to make contact) in the future. How to express the intention of "harmlessness" and "limited cooperation"? How to exchange the most critical information (such as dangerous areas, food sources, medicine clues) with the fewest words and gestures? At the same time, prepare for the worst-case scenario — if the other party showed hostility or aggression, how to quickly subdue or get rid of them?

The plan was made, but executing it, every step was accompanied by risk. Especially tracking and observation; in this strange hilly area, it was easy to lose one's way or be discovered by the other party instead.

For the next two days, Ling Ye entered a more tense and more careful state. He spent most of his time inside the cave, continuing to recover and practice. Only at dawn and dusk did he go out to collect water very secretly, and quickly check the traps (still no results).

He did not go to track The Stranger immediately. He was waiting, and also observing. Observing whether The Stranger would appear again, and the frequency and time of his appearance.

On the evening of the third day, just as Ling Ye had finished collecting water and was preparing to return to the cave, his peripheral vision seemed to catch a glimpse of an extremely tiny black shadow on a certain hill ridge in the southwest direction, quickly flashing by and disappearing behind the ridge.

Was it a bird? Or... a person?

The distance was too far to see clearly. But that direction was exactly the direction The Stranger had left in last time.

Ling Ye's heart stirred. He did not approach, but quickly returned to the cave and climbed to a higher rock protrusion inside the cave (there was a tiny, natural observation hole here that could look out at the distant view to the southwest). He looked through the observation hole, focusing his gaze.

The twilight was vast, and the ridge line rose and fell. He watched for a long time, but did not see any other movement.

But that momentary shadow, and the judgment in his heart about where The Stranger had gone, vaguely matched.

Another day passed. In the early morning, when Ling Ye was performing "visualization" inside the cave, his sharp ears caught a sound from the southwest, from very, very far away — an extremely faint, short "ding" sound, as if stones were striking a hard object, or... a light sound of metal collision?

The sound was too small, fleeting, mixed in the wind, and almost impossible to distinguish. But he was sure he had heard it.

There, someone was active. And, they might be making or using tools.

Ling Ye's heartbeat accelerated slightly. That Stranger very likely had a relatively fixed landing spot somewhere in the southwest, similar to his own. Moreover, the other party might possess metal tools, or even... weapons?

It was an opportunity, and also a greater risk.

He needed more information. He decided that the next time he confirmed The Stranger was going to the Water Source to collect water, he would attempt an extremely risky, long-distance reconnaissance toward the direction of his landing spot.

The goal was not contact, but from a distance, using the terrain and possible concealment points to observe the general location and environmental characteristics of his landing spot, judge whether he lived alone, and whether there were obvious threats (such as obvious fortifications, signs of multiple people's activity, etc.).

This would be his first proactive action with a clear purpose of investigation since entering this area. The risk was extremely high, but if successful, it would greatly help him assess the threat level of this "new Neighbor" and might lay the foundation for future interaction (whether cooperation or confrontation).

He carefully planned the reconnaissance route: starting from the cave, circling a larger loop, approaching the hilly area in the southwest from the side, choosing a high point or hiding spot that could observe the possible area, was sufficiently concealed, and was easy to retreat from. The action time was set for after The Stranger left after the next water collection. He had to complete the preliminary observation and retreat before The Stranger returned to his landing spot.